Posted by Steve Raybould - April Mentor on April 08, 2008 at 10:19:41:
In Reply to: Drum Major selections posted by anon. on April 07, 2008 at 13:03:44:
You should really know who your drum major is going to be before auditions start. This is not a position that someone just decides one day that they want to wave their arms around. This is a student who has shown a desire to place the good of the band above their own. Conducting is the easiest part of the job. and as for running a drill session, if students in the band mess up, is it the fault of the drum major? If not, then just have the drum majors shout random commands in the band room. That would be just as effective.
The criteria for drum major cannot be simply quantified on a score sheet. This student needs to already have the respect of their peers before they step up. You can't teach that respect to them. I am not saying that the students have to like them, but that ultimately have to respect them. This student may or may not already be a section leader. Section leaders are often chosen on pure performance and many of them develop the necessary ego that goes along with being the soloist. A drum major has to know that it is not about them, but it is about the band.
The drum major candidate can't be the last one at rehearsal or the first one out the door. They have to be the person who sees a need and just fills it, without being asked.
Some directors like to claim they groom their drum majors from their freshman year. I have not found that to be a successful model. I have had some great drum majors who couldn't conduct a clear pattern until the last competition and I have had some fabulous conductors who could get the band to stand quietly during a rehearsal.
A drum major audition is a formality, a dog-and-pony show. You are the director. Choose the drum major.
: How do you select your drum majors? I'm planning on having them audition by conducting a piece and running a drill down. What do you do? What criteria do you evaluate them on?